I learned so much this year while training for the marathon I ran last week.
Lessons about myself and my ability to commit and find ways to do things that I never thought possible.
Weeks of intense training and making time to run for miles and miles (and miles!) while juggling all of the other responsibilities in life.
Frankly, it was exhausting!
But in the end, it was so worth it.
I can't even explain the emotions I felt when I crossed that finish line. The pride of knowing that I had accomplished what I set out to do - and beat my goal time!
While I was running, I had a lot of time to think.
I thought about life. And how similar it is to a marathon if you think about it.
It's a test of our endurance for sure.
We start out young and carefree, running with abandon. Feeling great, all smiles, not a care in the world.
After a few miles, we start to feel a little tired, but we keep powering through.
Our friends and family on the sidelines cheer us on, giving us strength, renewing our resolve.
The last few miles are the hardest, with our calves and knees trying to convince us to stop. That we don't need to run anymore.
But we keep moving, slow and steady to the end.
And when we cross that finish line, we look back at how far we've come, all of the strength and courage it took to get there, and it's the most amazing feeling in the world.
The difference though, is that there's a training plan you can download for a marathon.
Training for life isn't quite so scripted. If only it was, right?
You have to figure out the plan that works for you.
And make a lot of mistakes along the way.
I think the key to life (and to running a marathon) is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Forward motion is the most important factor, because it's one thing we can control.
And also these things:
Fuel our bodies well so we have the strength to endure.
Prioritize time for rest so we can recover after the hard training days.
Surround ourselves with people who encourage us and cheer for us along the way
When we stumble and fall, just get back up and start over again.
It happens to all of us
And above all else, find ways to enjoy the view along the way.
Smile as we navigate this journey, even when our legs are tired.
Especially when our legs are tired!
It's a powerful thing - to run this marathon of life. And so cool to think that each one of us is running it in our own unique way.
Each of us training at our own speed and juggling different challenges in life to make time for it all.
I'm proud to be running alongside each and every one of you!
And I'm cheering you on every step of the way.
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